We should have scored 15 or 20 runs more: Mashrafe

We should have scored 15 or 20 runs more: Mashrafe

Rangpur Riders’ six-match winning streak in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) came to an end with their eight-wicket defeat against Comilla Victorians in the tournament’s first qualifier at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. And Rangpur skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza thought that not scoring enough runs during the powerplays cost them dearly.

Rangpur managed to score only 34 runs, losing two wickets in the first six overs of the game. Rangpur opener Mahedi Maruf and batsman Mohammad Mithun fell after scoring just one and three runs respectively in the powerplay. Destructive left-handed opener Chris Gayle also failed to fire as he could only notch 29 runs off 30 balls during that period.

That initial sloth at the top was pointed out by skipper Mashrafe when he spoke at the post-match press conference yesterday. He cited that factor as the reason behind their failure on the day.

“I think that we should have scored 15 or 20 runs more. In the first six overs I think we took a lot of time. It is not like that we had lost many wickets in the first six overs. We lost just one wicket [actually two wickets in powerplays] in the final ball of sixth over as [Mohammad] Mithun was run-out. But by that time we lagged behind a little as we scored 34 runs in the first six overs. It is very difficult in this format because even if the wicket is not good, even then every team tries to score maximum runs in the first six overs. So we came 10 or 15 runs short during that period.”

Gayle, however, scored 46 runs off 44 balls before getting dismissed in the 11 th over of the game but never appeared to be firing in all cylinders, much like in the previous games he played for Rangpur in this edition of BPL. But Mashrafe said that he still has faith that Gayle, who is hailed as the ‘Universe Boss’ in this format of the game and felt he will make the difference when it matters.

“We are still in this tournament. We have one match that is a semi-final for us. So player like him [Chris Gayle], will step up in big match. Everyone have their eyes on him in this format and it is nothing different for us. It is not like that we are not looking up to him like last season also he did the same thing and I hope that he will click at the right time. Although we have just this one game, but still we are in a very important position.”

Rangpur will be playing Dhaka Dynamites in tomorrow’s Qualifier 2 and battle it out with Shakib Al Hasan's team for a place in the final of the tournament.